Once the coverage is in effect, patients will only have to disburse 1.5 million to 2 million won for surgical procedures that typically cost from 7 million to 10 million won.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare decided on Monday to cover various surgical procedures for patients with severe obesity. The insurance, however, will not be applied to suction lipectomy or other cosmetic procedures.

It will instead cover surgical procedures that will alter the course of digestion, such as sleeve gastrectomy and roux-en-Y gastric bypass, specially designed to treat obesity.

Patients with a BMI of over 35㎏/㎡ or those with high blood pressure or diabetes with a BMI of over 30㎏/㎡ will qualify for insurance coverage.

The South Korean government will also begin charging fees for the comprehensive treatment of obesity to foster an interdisciplinary environment where doctors from various departments gather to treat a patient with obesity, which will help prevent unnecessary surgeries and provide better post-surgery treatment.

Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page.Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.

About Korea Bizwire

Korea Bizwire is committed to reporting on "uniquely Korean" stories for our readers. But we also provide enhanced coverage of useful information from all over the world if we find them of interest or relevance to our global audience.

Kobiz Media, the parent company of this site, offers highly competent press release distribution and localization services aimed at South Korea -- increasingly important and attractive market for global businesses who want to have an upper hand in Asia Pacific region since Korea serves as a stepping-stone for forward-looking brands' future success in this lucrative markets. We wish you all good luck for extraordinary success in your businesses and life.